Children’s flu vaccinations in 9 boroughs of London benefit from online system to encourage greater uptake of immunisations ahead of the predicted surge in winter viruses this autumn

11th August 2021 – Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust is working with software provider RIVIAM Digital Care to transform the children’s immunisation process with an online system for parents to give permission, immunisation teams to manage consents and a mobile app to help nurses during clinics.

This will be ready for the national Flu immunisations programme this autumn which will be extended to include all children from Reception to Year 11. The aim is to encourage uptake of the Flu vaccination at a time when the NHS is predicting a surge in winter viruses including Flu alongside COVID-19.

The new process replaces the old paper-based approach, which means there is less room for error (because a child has lost a form for example), minimal administration work for the school (for example chasing and collecting in forms) and saves time for Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust’s immunisation teams allowing them to focus on providing the best care.

Julie Hale, Divisional Manager for Richmond Children’s Services at Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust, said:

“Paper-based consent can be a very resource-heavy process for our staff, with extra time spent manually transporting, categorising and scanning forms. It also suffers from issues with incomplete, illegible and lost forms, which can result in missed or delayed vaccinations.

“We hope that e-consent will lead to improved data quality, protect sensitive patient information, and give nurses more time to spend on clinical care and health promotion in schools.”

Parents and carers in 9 London boroughs will benefit from an ‘e-consent’ form which can be completed online via computer or mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. Children’s school-aged vaccination nursing teams will be able to receive and manage completed consents online, considerably reducing the amount of time the immunisation team need to spend reviewing each return.

With RIVIAM’s mobile app, immunisations nurses have secure access to clinic lists of children with their associated consents and triage history on their device. The app automatically updates TPP SystmOne™ the clinical system used by Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust, so vaccination outcomes are recorded in real time.

RIVIAM’s eConsent immunisations service enables Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust to digitise the entire immunisations process from beginning to end.

The service includes:

• eConsent websites for the secure collection of consents from parents and carers
• Online triage and administration tools providing the ability to keep track and co-ordinate what’s been done to whom and when
• A mobile app for immunisation nurses that works with or without internet connection
• Auto update of the clinical system TPP SystmOne™ with vaccination outcomes
• Reporting and Dashboards to provide data insights for increasing the uptake of immunisations, including updates to the Child Health Information Service and Public Health England.

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About RIVIAM Digital Care

RIVIAM’s eConsent immunisations service enables providers to co-ordinate a paper-free immunisation programme improving uptake, delivery and patient care and reducing costs.

RIVIAM Digital Care is passionate about improving people’s lives by providing a secure platform and services for health, social care and third sector organisations to collaborate and co-ordinate care. Our technology connects with existing computer systems and clinical records whilst enabling new care services. With RIVIAM, our customers can make better use of their resources, build on information within existing NHS systems and deliver joined-up care with joined-up information. For more information, visit www.riviam.com